How to run in your new home

Just like you should carefully run in a new car, a new home needs a lot of TLC when you first move in.

In short, your new home needs to get used to being lived in as much as you need to get used to living in it!

Here are the most common issues that can affect a new home, and some easy measures you can take to minimise them.

Condensation

Condensation affects homes old and new. In fact, it accounts for 70% of domestic damp and many situations where leaks and rising damp are wrongly blamed. It causes plaster to crumble, wallpaper to peel away from walls, staining and more serious issues like mould and dust mites that can lead to health issues.

Kitchens and bathrooms produce the most water vapour, so keeping doors shut to these rooms can help control moisture levels elsewhere.

Use ventilation and extractor fans where you have them, open windows each day, wipe down surfaces that get wet and maintain a low background heat.

It is worth noting that issues caused by condensation that do not affect the structural integrity of a property are excluded from most structural warranty policies.

Drying out

Lots of materials that go into making homes use a mix of water, which evaporates over time and may cause condensation in your home. It can lead to small cracks in plaster and woodwork which can be repaired easily and present no danger to you or the structure of your home.

This is part of a perfectly normal process called “drying out” and typically lasts about six months.

You can reduce the effects of drying out by:

Wiping away condensations on glass surfaces

Keeping pans covered when cooking, even if you have an extractor hood

Drying clothing outdoors and if you use a tumble dryer, making sure it vents outdoors or is fitted with a condenser

Leaving windows and trickle-vents open when possible and not blocking air bricks or vents

Closing the bathroom door when bathing or showering

Sometimes, drying out can lead to salt deposits on walls, often appearing as white marks. They can be wiped away but if the problem reoccurs it could indicate a water leak, in which case you should contact your developer.

Shrinkage and cracking

Timber and plaster will shrink as a result of your home being heated and lived in. As with drying out, this can lead to small cracks that can be easily repaired. The more you can keep an even temperature throughout the house, rather than extremes of hot and cold, the more you can minimise cracking. Keep your home ventilated as much as possible too.

If small cracks do appear, leave them a few months before sealing them.

If you feel cracks are more significant than as a result of normal shrinkage and cracking, it may indicate that you have movement in your home. In this case you should contact your developer.

Water staining and efflorescence

While efflorescence is normal and easily dealt with, water staining on the walls or ceiling of your home may indicate something more serious is going on.

Efflorescence occurs when water moves through a wall or other structure containing cement, or is being driven out as cement stone is formed. It leads to a white deposit which you can remove by wiping or brushing with a stiff brush.

If you see water stains on walls or ceilings, report it to your developer as it could indicate a problem with the plumbing or the signs of water getting into your home from the roof or external walls.

NEW HOMES SURVEY

REPORTS

ABOUT US

GET SOCIAL

CONTACT

Your Data

We use your feedback to establish a rating for your housebuilder and for the annual New Homes Review. To do this, we link your questionnaire responses to your housebuilder‎ if your property is registered with warranty providers Premier Guarantee or LABC Warranty and share this information with them. Premier Guarantee or LABC Warranty will provide your housebuilder with a report of aggregated scores which combines your views with those of other customers so no individual can be identified. No personal data is used in the analysis or shared with any third party including Premier Guarantee, LABC Warranty or housebuilders.

Privacy Policy

The New Homes Review is a brand name and on-line homeowner survey managed and administered by independent market research agency Zebra Square Limited, 3 Sceptre House, Hornbeam Square North, Harrogate HG2 8PB – www.zebrasquare.co.uk. Any personal details that you type into the New Homes Review survey and submit, such as your name and contact information, will be held by Zebra Square for the purpose of data quality checking only and is securely encrypted and stored. All data is processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and deleted when no longer required. You can ask Zebra Square to update or remove or express any concerns about your personal information by emailing your request to info@newhomesreview.com or call Zebra Square on 01423 878 565.

Terms & Conditions

To enter the prize draw, you must successfully complete the New Homes Review on-line new home owner survey. Once the survey questions have been completed, you will be asked if you wish to enter the prize draw. You must agree to this in order to be entered into the prize draw.

Only one entry is permitted per person.

The prize draw will run monthly throughout the year. Entries made between the first and second to last day of the same month will be included. Any entries made after this will roll in to the following month’s prize draw.

The New Homes Review will determine the winner by random draw on the last day of every month after the prize draw has closed.

The winner will be informed by Zebra Square on behalf of the New Homes Review via telephone within 28 days of the closing date of the relevant monthly prize draw. The New Homes Review reserves the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.

The prize will be sent to the recipient who completed the survey.

The prize will be dispatched by the New Homes Review courier partners. The New Homes Review assumes no responsibility for items lost or damaged in transit, but we will attempt to rectify the situation where possible with our courier partners on notification of lost or damaged delivery.

The New Homes Review’s decision is final in every respect concerning the prize draw including, but not limited to, the provisions set out in these terms and conditions.

The New Homes Review reserves the right to terminate this prize draw at any point, without notice.

This agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales. The promoter of this competition is the New Homes Review.

Zebra Square will not pass on your personal details to any other organisation without your consent.

There is no entry fee to enter this competition.

No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.

No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.

By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current [UK] data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.

The winner’s names will be publicised by the New Homes Review but details of other entrants remain confidential.